<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Sweetness by ppxyoon</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533640">Sweetness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ppxyoon/pseuds/ppxyoon'>ppxyoon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soulmate au. [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Mentioned Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Romantic Fluff, Taste Verse, finding soulmates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:43:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,736</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533640</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ppxyoon/pseuds/ppxyoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In the world where you will lose one type of taste perceptions when you turning twenty for the sake of soulmate-thingy, Jeonghan doesn’t mind if his sweet-taste bud will be lost for the rest of his life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soulmate au. [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1672144</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sweetness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic has been translated into English from my native language by myself(with help from google and suggested words in my dictionary). As English is not my first language, please excuse my typo and grammatical errors.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yoon Jeonghan looked at the cute-looking strawberry-cream cake having two lit candles placed on both sides of the god-known sweet chocolate wafer having a word <em>‘Happy Birth Day’</em> on it. He looked at his friends’ faces: Seungcheol, Minhyun, Jonghyun and two juniors, Mingyu and Myungho, who happened to join this tiny surprise party by chance.</p><p> </p><p>He signed. Consider the fact that Seungcheol (read with girth teeth: his very best friend since birth) was the one who hold the cake, he could confirm that this man is the origin of the strawberry cake in his hands.</p><p> </p><p>His very best friend bought the very expensive strawberry-cream cake knowing that Jeonghan <strong><em>lost the sweet-taste bud</em></strong> two years ago.</p><p> </p><p>In other words, he could not taste sweetness anymore.</p><p> </p><p>Very impressive.</p><p> </p><p>“Blow the candles or else they will melt and drop to form one of the toppings on the cake.” Jeonghan glared at his bestfriend who still smiled, widely wide.</p><p> </p><p>They should drop.</p><p> </p><p>He meant Seungcheol’s tears, not the candle waxes though.</p><p> </p><p>Jeonghan sighed. He didn’t want Mingyu nor Myungho who didn’t even have a clue about this whole thing to feel bad about the cake (and him). He closed his eyes and blew the candles along with the cheers from his friends.</p><p> </p><p>“Finally, I can eat it.”Jonghyun put the strawberry into his mouth as soon as Seungcheol put the cake on the table. “Do you want some, Myungho?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why you didn’t ask me?”Mingyu whined while reaching out to the chocolate wafer.</p><p> </p><p>“Keep that one for Jeonghan.”Seungcheol stopped the junior by stealing the wafer from Mingyu’s hand and giving it to Jeonghan.</p><p> </p><p>Mingyu whined louder but aimed for other toppings instead. Jeonghan put that chocolate wafer, which was also sweet, into his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>He felt nothing.</p><p> </p><p>And that’s nothing new for him.</p><p> </p><p>From his birthday when he was twenty, he could not taste any sweetness from everything he ate anymore. It was not that he did anything wrong to his taste buds. It just that he was the chosen one to have a soulmate in this world, the world where you will lose one type of taste perceptions when you turning twenty for the sake of soulmate-thingy.</p><p> </p><p>Jeonghan was chosen to lose the perception of sweetness on his tongue.</p><p> </p><p>Others, like Jonghyun and Minhyun, lost the perception of bitterness. His sister could not feel the sourness.</p><p> </p><p>Your perception will comeback once you kiss your soulmate. And the ‘kiss’ means kiss. Not just your lips touch each other.</p><p> </p><p>So, it’s really hard to find your soulmate unless you are either lucky or lucky.</p><p> </p><p>Jeonghan was not lucky so he doesn’t mind if his sweet-taste bud will be lost for the rest of his life.</p><p> </p><p>Minhyun, as well, was not lucky. But he tried his best to kiss as much people as possible to find his soulmate and resume the taste of bitterness in his sense.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t know he should categorize Seungcheol as lucky person or not since his bestfriend didn’t undergo the lost of perception when he turned twenty.</p><p> </p><p>Seungcheol doesn’t have soulmate but now has the boyfriend who ditched his soulmate to him.</p><p> </p><p>“You can eat them all but keep that one piece untouched.”</p><p> </p><p>“Didn’t it taste like tasteless gum?”Minhyun asked with curiosity in his voice. “You cannot taste the sweetness, can you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait. You cannot taste the sweetness?”Mingyu asked with concern in his voice. “But… it’s your birthday cake.” He sounded miserable.</p><p> </p><p>Seungcheol should feel guilty to deceive innocent minds at this point.</p><p> </p><p>“Should you keep two pieces?”Jonghyun asked again. “For your man, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep. One is enough.”</p><p> </p><p>While Jonghyun was keeping one piece of cake in the box, Mingyu and Myungho looked at him with curious eyes (and ears and tails (if they have ones)).</p><p> </p><p>“You have a boyfriend?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why did no one tell us?”</p><p> </p><p>Mingyu and Myungho are brothercode of Jonghyun. So Jonghyun was the one who have to answer this question.</p><p> </p><p>“Because it’s his business. Not mine, or yours.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Snap.”</p><p>“Is he your soulmate?”Myunho asked another question</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not sure.”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean ‘not sure’?”Myungho raised an eyebrow. “It’s either ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s ‘not sure’ because he hasn’t kissed him yet.”Seungcheol jumped into the conversation. “That’s why.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s been 4 months and he didn’t even touch his lip on his.”Minhyun laughed. “He’s afraid.”</p><p> </p><p>Jeonghan narrowed his gaze until it was a death glare.</p><p> </p><p>He was not afraid.</p><p> </p><p>He just didn’t want to do it now.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Why you have to be afraid?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>It’s not Seungcheol, Minhyun, Jonghyun or his two juniors’ voice.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, Jisoo. How have you been?”His bestfriend raised his hand to greet the newcomer, his boyfriend.</p><p> </p><p>“Tired as always.” Jeonghan didn’t turn his head to look at Jisoo but he could feel the tiredness in his gentle voice. Then he felt a weight of Jisoo’s head on his head. “Wanna go home, Jeonghanie.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been waiting for you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Didn’t you just finish your birthday party?”Jisoo widened his eyes and raised his voice higher, as confused as a lost deer.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes and No.”</p><p> </p><p>Jisoo looked more lost.</p><p> </p><p>“I would not consider this as a birthday party, just they wanted to eat strawberry-cream cake and used my birthday as an excuse.”</p><p> </p><p>“Too mean, Jeonghanie.”</p><p> </p><p>“I would say the same thing to you, Seungcheolie.” Jeonghan stood up from his chair signaling Jonghyun to give him the cake. “Let’s go home, baby.”</p><p> </p><p>The couple left but the two puppies were still there, confuse as usual.</p><p> </p><p>“Is that Jeonghan-hyung’s boyfriend? They looked cute together. If it were me, I would kiss him at our first date.”</p><p> </p><p>“I told you. He’s afraid.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why? He was the one who made a move, wasn’t he?”Myungho still looked at the couples’ backs. “It’s not like he made a move because he knew that this man is his soulmate.”</p><p>“Plus, I though that Jeonghan-hyung didn’t mind about this soulmate-thingy.”</p><p> </p><p>“He didn’t, for both of your questions.”</p><p>“Jisoo too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then why?”</p><p> </p><p>“Who knows.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jeonghan walked behind his boyfriend, who was studying in another faculty- the most hectic faculty with tons of tests and workloads in the university, smile never left his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Too slow, Jeonghannie.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re too fast, baby.”</p><p> </p><p>He unlocked his car and Jisoo jumped in. The cake was in Jisoo’s hand and now it’s on Jisoo’s lap.</p><p> </p><p>“Isn’t this revenge from your best friend?”Jisoo giggled. “He’s someone who hold grudges, isn’t he?”</p><p> </p><p>“I think so.”</p><p> </p><p>On Seungcheol’s birthday, he pulled a prank on his best friend which resulted in sulked Jihoonie (Seungcheol’s boyfriend) and Seungcheol has to celebrate his birthday by kneeling in front of Jihoon’s house. (That’s overrated, but still had some facts.)</p><p> </p><p>Jisoo laughed.</p><p> </p><p>Seungcheol and Jeonghan always have love-hate relationship in a platonic way.</p><p> </p><p>Or maybe, it included him in that relationship too.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” Jisoo exclaimed after opened the lid. “It’s strawberry.”</p><p> </p><p>If Jeonghan loses the perception of sweetness, Jisoo cannot remember how sourness taste like.</p><p> </p><p>So strawberry is the common ground that both he and Jeonghan cannot taste.</p><p> </p><p>“The cake is nice. Just leave it out.”</p><p> </p><p>Jisoo smiled to himself. He has been in a relationship with Jeonghan for four months now. It’s not that long compared to previous relationship he had, but still not that short like we didn’t know anything about each other. Combining the getting-to-know-each-other period, we have known each other for eight months.</p><p> </p><p>He knew Jeonghan hasn’t met his soulmate yet. So did he.</p><p> </p><p>He also knew Jeonghan was fine with that. Again, so did he.</p><p> </p><p>But we haven’t kissed.</p><p> </p><p>“Hannie.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>“Have you ever wanted to taste the sweetness again?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not at all. What about you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not at all.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>           </p><p>“Wanna eat anything?” Jeonghan asked Jisoo when they arrived that former’s apartment.</p><p> </p><p>“Cake.”</p><p> </p><p>“For dinner?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep.”</p><p> </p><p>“You should eat something enough to consider being proper meal.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then, cake first. Pasta later.” Jisoo answered and sat down at the dining table. “Could you bring me a plate, baby?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Happy Birth Day.” Jisoo smiled bringing the fork full of cake to Jeonghan’s mouth. The latter sighed but the smile was still fomed on the face. “You should eat your birthday cake.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can I eat from you mouth then?”</p><p> </p><p>Jisoo’s eyes widen in surprise.</p><p> </p><p>“Only if you want.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you mean…”Jisoo brought the fork back to near his mouth. “You want to…”</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Kiss you.”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“Did you ask your previous mate like this or---”</p><p> </p><p>The next words didn’t voice out as Jeonghan closed the speaker’s lip with his own. He didn’t <strong><em>kiss</em></strong> Jisoo suddenly. He paused his lip there, at Jisoo’s lip. Just enough for their lips to feel the weight and pressure from each other’s presences. Like he wanted to convey his thought, convey his feeling, convey his unspoken words.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t kiss Jisoo because he wanted to confirm whether Jisoo is his soulmate.</p><p> </p><p>He kissed Jisoo because he wanted to.</p><p> </p><p>And he didn’t want Jisoo to understand it in other ways.</p><p> </p><p>They locked eyes before Jisoo closed his to completely feel the warmth dissipate into his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>They <strong><em>kissed</em></strong>.</p><p> </p><p>With tongues, teeth, lips, and all.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>           </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Sweet.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jisoo’s mouth sweet as it seemed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Wanna taste some?” The new piece of cake was bought in front of his face by his boyfriend’s hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” He leaned closer. “But before that…”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>“I want you to know that whether I find it sweet or not, it doesn’t matter.” Jeonghan looked into the beautiful eyes that contained all of his universe. “I love you, Jisoo, whether you are my soulmate or not.”</p><p> </p><p>“So do I.”</p><p> </p><p>He smiled and Jisoo reflected his smile back.</p><p> </p><p>Jeonghan opened his mouth. The cream was on the tip of his tongue.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Sweet.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>But Jisoo’s mouth is sweeter.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“How was it?” Jisoo looked excited than he was. It’s cute.</p><p> </p><p>“Try taste the strawberry yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>Jisoo’s facial expression softened into gentle and sweet replacing the excitement and worry from the past minutes.</p><p> </p><p>“I would like to taste it from you mouth then.”</p><p> </p><p>Jeonghan giggled. “If you say so.”</p><p> </p><p>He put half of the left-out strawberry into his mouth and leaned closer to his boyfriend.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The sweetness mixed with sourness as a signature of strawberry reached his sense when Jisoo took a bite of the strawberry from Jeonghan’s mouth.</p><p> </p><p>He sured Jeonghan felt it too.</p><p> </p><p>The sweetness and sourness in his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>The warmth on his lip.</p><p> </p><p>The <strong><em>love </em></strong>in their hearts.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you, Hannie.”</p><p> </p><p>“I love you too, baby.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoy it even though some words are overused or misplaced.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>